


I'll be there if you need me.

by GimmeADamnMic



Series: Fraxus Week 2020 [4]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Freed is a prince, Laxus his bodyguard, M/M, one of my fave tropes tbh, royal au, you know the shtick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:26:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25312291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GimmeADamnMic/pseuds/GimmeADamnMic
Summary: If there's anything Laxus Dreyar, captain of the royal guard and the king's personal bodyguard, could confidently say about the king's temporary replace, it's that the young prince is a definite pain in the ass. He's awfully stubborn, butting heads with nearly every official he encounters, yammering about something or other he can't find peace with. There's always something to complain about with the young man.Even worse, the man is vain. Vanity is a trait that Laxus has never appreciated in other people, but has to admit that it's sometimes somewhat of a point he himself could work on. The difference however between Laxus and prince Freed is the fact that Laxus likes to take care of his appearance outside of his work, while the prince has taken to prancing around in clothes that look like they were made for him, bejeweled as though he's trying to pass for a christmas tree. It's working, certainly with that particular hair of his.
Relationships: Laxus Dreyar/Freed Justine
Series: Fraxus Week 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1830271
Kudos: 24
Collections: Fraxus Week 2020





	I'll be there if you need me.

**Author's Note:**

> Fraxusweek entry for day 2: (enemies to) friends to lovers

If there's anything Laxus Dreyar, captain of the royal guard and the king's personal bodyguard, could confidently say about the king's temporary replace, it's that the young prince is a definite pain in the ass. He's awfully stubborn, butting heads with nearly every official he encounters, yammering about something or other he can't find peace with. There's always something to complain about with the young man. 

Even worse, the man is vain. Vanity is a trait that Laxus has never appreciated in other people, but has to admit that it's sometimes somewhat of a point he himself could work on. The difference however between Laxus and prince Freed is the fact that Laxus likes to take care of his appearance outside of his work, while the prince has taken to prancing around in clothes that look like they were made for him, bejeweled as though he's trying to pass for a christmas tree. It's working, certainly with that particular hair of his. 

To add the cherry on top, Laxus has never seen the man fight and to be honest, he doesn't have high hopes for him. The man's muscular, sure, but Laxus suspects it's merely for aesthetics. Just like everything else the man has to offer. So essentially, Laxus has to protect a tantrum-throwing toddler with fancy clothes, which is just great. 

Unable to keep these thoughts to himself, he relays them to Bickslow, a fellow guard, during one of their rare moments of synchronized free time. The man patiently listens to his gripes and after his rant has ended, only answers with a thoughtful hum and an uncomfortably long, sustained slurp of his beer. 

"You're right, he's a bit of a stubborn bastard, ain't he? But do tell me about the missions he's assigned your border troops." With a roll of his eyes, Laxus sighs. "His approach is terrible, the amount of wounded soldiers has drastically gone up ever since he has taken over." With a grin, Bickslow shakes his head. "You should be fired", he jokes, but there's an undercurrent of seriousness in his voice. "I'm not going to deny the fact that there are more wounded soldiers, but have you looked at our death toll? And the death toll on the other side? Both of those have sunken into a deep, deep low. I would watch our future king, the man's something alright." 

Bickslow's right and Laxus thinks he should indeed be fired. Overlooking the big picture like that isn't something he can afford to do in his line of work. He vows to pay better attention to what's happening from now on. 

The first opportunity he gets to do this, is a visit from the king of the neighbouring country. The whole palace is vibrating with barely hidden nervousity and this jittery feeling only comes to a summit when the young prince summons the whole staff in the courtyard in shifts. As his personal body guard, Laxus witnesses each of the shifts and also the different ways Freed speaks to his staff. The man's aware of what's going on in his castle, Laxus realises, and he knows which words to say to every group. The nervous energy dissipates and when escorting the man back inside, Laxus really notices for the first time how the palace has changed.

There's not a speck of dust to be seen and the rigid formality he had previously hated, brings an unspoken air of sophistication to it. As soon as the prince is out of sight, the formality drops, but there seems to be no resentment towards Freed when they have to keep it up. By watching Freed formally interact with his staff, it's clear why they harbour no resentment. His words are gentle, but firm and it's obvious that the tasks he gives his staff makes them proud. The prince and his kin formality have given the staff a sense of pride. 

Upon seeing prince Freed interact with the neighbouring king, Laxus comes to the conclusion that even Freed's vanity has purpose. The impeccable clothes, combined with his elegant posture and calm exterior, make him an imposing figure, even at his very young age. Unlike with his staff, Freed doesn't seem to have friendliness to share with the other royal, only politeness. It's strategic, Laxus thinks, for kindness would've made him look weak in front of the other of higher status and now, prince Freed looks like he's been nothing but a king his whole life long. It's respectable.

Eventually, the picture of a perfect king to be shatters, although luckily for Freed it's not in front of his whole court. It's during a little moment, where there's no one else but him and Laxus. The prince had asked for a glass of water, Laxus had reached over and given it to him. For some reason, Laxus suspects fatigue, the glass had slipped from the young prince's fingers and suddenly there were tears. Quickly enough, Freed had wiped them away and gotten on his knees to clean up the mess of glass with his bare, quivering fingers, which of course had gotten him a cut.

"Sorry, I'm making a mess of things, aren't I?" the prince had said with a fake smile that quickly fell apart. "Ah fuck", he had continued with a whisper, "Please excuse me", he said, frantically wiping at silent tears that kept coming. 'Ah fuck', Laxus also thought, but because he was raised to be a polite (he wasn't), he didn't say it out loud.

That led to the current situation, where Laxus plants his hand on the prince's hair and pats him somewhat roughly on the head. "There, there", he awkwardly sushes like he's done many times (with varying degrees of succes, fuck you Gajeel) with his adopted siblings. Shocked by the absurdity of it all, the prince bursts into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Every now and then it seems like his laughter'll die down, but then he sees Laxus' face, which starts the cycle all over again. "Stop that, stupid." With a shove, Laxus rolls his eyes at the prince, something akin to affection seeping into his voice. 

Behind closed doors, they become friends and Laxus can comfortably call the prince an idiot to his face. Frequently, they are joined by Bickslow and Evergreen, two guards who have also gained the privilege of calling the prince a dumbass. Although those two are Freed's closest friends, Laxus can't deny that he and the prince also share a certain type of intimacy, one that feels just a tad different than the one he shares with his other friends. 

That intimacy loaded with a tension that doesn't feel uncomfortable, mainly outs itself in moments when it's just the two of them. Like now, where Laxus has the nightshift to guard Freed and the man lets him stay, lets him watch as he undresses himself. Coyly, the prince gives him a smirk. "Want to help?" he says with a voice none too innocent and Laxus laughs him off. "You don't pay me enough for that, dumbass prince", he says. That and the bags under Freed's eyes are too damn dark for him to be anything but get a good night's rest right now. So after Freed's gotten out of his clothes, Laxus tucks him into bed with gestures that are perhaps a bit too soft, a bit too familiar and gentle.

"I'm not a doll you know", Freed complains and Laxus shuts him up by patting his head. Although Freed grunts and grumbles everytime, Laxus isn't blind to the way his body relaxes at the simple touch. "I know, but you aren't invincible either. Goodnight, I'll be here if you need me." 

'I'll be there if you need me', was a nice sentiment, but it's a shame that Laxus can't keep that promise. Although it wasn't necessarily his fault that he failed at that, it still feels like it. Looking at Freed, sweating feverishly from taking a poisened arrow to the chest after pulling Laxus out of it's path, he can't hide his guilt anywhere. 

"Hey dumbass prince", he whispers, "It's my job to protect you. You pay me enough to do that, so let me." A weak laugh garners his attention. "But I was considering dropping your pay, you sure you still want to work for me?" Freed jokes between wheezes and coughs. Rolling his eyes, Laxus pushes the prince back as the man tries to sit up. "You stay there, dumbass prince. Dumbass is a part of your title now, by the way. Evergreen and Bickslow voted for, so it is rule now." 

"Guess it is", Freed smiles. "Can I add 'handsome' to that? I think it fits", he smirks and Laxus sighs. "That's because you're a pompous dick", he flatly answers and Freed's smirk only gets bigger. "You didn't deny it though." 

"As your personal bodyguard, I do what's best for you and in your current physical and mental state, I think breaking illusions would bring you more damage than good." He gets a light, playful jab in return for that and Laxus retaliates with a kiss to the prince's sweaty forehead. "Ew", he says before planting another one on his nose. "Go to sleep dumbass handsome prince, you need it. I'll be there if you need me." 

"Of course you will be", the prince answers confidently and gives him a kiss on the hand, promptly erasing Laxus' doubts. "I trust you", he yawns, before drifting off too sleep and Laxus'll do everything in his power to not betray that trust.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, am fairiesherefairiesthere on tumblr!


End file.
